As a start, raising of awareness & attention is of utmost importance and could be done through environmental education either through official channels where experts are involved in teaching or through social media, respected and influential figures such as opinion leaders.

One reason why the community would even be involved with the protection of the species, would first of all come from the influence of education, information awareness and framing of the particular species, the Javan Rhinos to be their local symbol much like the Bald Eagle in the American flag or the Lion in the Singapore flag. This is to instilled in the community a sense of identity as a community with their precious animal that is globally rare. This also allows the community to develop a sense of attachment toward the Javan Rhinos when coupled together with environmental knowledge (What exactly is a Javan Rhino, where does it usually inhabit, the threats it is facing, why they are valuable to humans, their horns have no substantial medicinal value, their effects on the ecological environment and more) (Clayton & Myers, 2015).

Environmental education is important because without knowledge, people would not realise the nature and severity of the problem, and thus would not change their attitude in the process, resulting in no change of personal action. However, by providing awareness and knowledge, it will wake them up from inevitable environmental damage, and make them realise they have responsibility in it too.

Such knowledge should be widely spread to the local community and made mandatory to the youths as they grow up to be pillars for their community.

The imparting of such knowledge should be coupled with experiential activities like having a moderate distance encounter with the Javan Rhino while a conservation guide leads the information dissemination about the Javan Rhinos (Clayton & Myers, 2015). In addition, reflective experiences regarding their experience with the learning and observing of these Javan Rhinos would also have to be carried out as part of the crucial segments of the activity. This is to allow them to engaged in deep cognitive processing rather than shallow processing of their understanding and values regarding the Javan Rhinos, so that they would understand and relate to Javan Rhinos better at the end of the session. All of these would all contribute to why it is important for the local community to participate in the prevention of poaching and also not to acquire and consume of rhino products themselves.

In relation to the larger areas of the world that are demanding for rhino products due to status and false beliefs, education and information awareness (Use To disarm such worldviews) would be more essential to resolve such an anti-environmental trend. Environmental education should be required for all major countries and areas that are high in illegal rhino products trading, starting with their children, as the formation of the right attitudes at a young age is important, as it will affect how they would react when the opportunity to violate arises. Organisations within the countries should also be required by law to participate in giving off seminar or workshop sessions to educate their employees and employers about Javan Rhinos awareness and knowledge in the context of ecology. Similarly, this workshops and education on both adults and the young should all be supplemented by experiential trips to their zoos or wildlife areas so that they can learn about the Rhinos in a relatively safe distance for themselves and the Rhinos, except when they are given the option of feeding a Rhino (Clayton & Myers, 2015).

Reflections would be encouraged at the end of such sessions so as to have a better chance of developing a long term attitudinal change towards Javan Rhinos. As it is natural for people to eventually lose their empathy or passion in the Javan Rhinos as days goes by, it would also be encouraged for them to join a local Javan Rhino Conservation Group or an Animal Protection or Interest Group to further their environmental education journey as a way to maintain their interest, fuel their passion, and keep them updated regarding the Javan Rhinos.

 

Ultimately, what education is aiming to achieve is to instill in people attitudinal changes, help promote a pro-Javan-Rhino norm, and also increase their perceived control by providing them with methods of behavioral change. These could possibly translate into pro-Javan-Rhino behavioral intentions to support the Javan Rhino cause and thus result in better curtailment of Javan Rhino related products purchases, or other pro-Javan-Rhino behaviors.

Note: Subjective norm here refers to the perceived social pressure which affects whether one perform or not perform the pro-Javan-Rhino or anti-Javan-Rhino behavior.

 

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